


Dum Spiro, Spero

by storybored



Series: 25 days of Hellblazer [3]
Category: Constantine (Comic), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), Hellblazer, Justice League Dark (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Backwards magic, Cuddling, F/M, M/M, Multi, Necromancy, Nick is weird, Nightmare Nurse - Freeform, Possession, Wax Play, hurt comfort, no real smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 19:25:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17188934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storybored/pseuds/storybored
Summary: The legends catch wind of an object that forces them to travel back into John's past. John is mum on his past to begin with but they find it hard to connect the past to the present.





	Dum Spiro, Spero

**Author's Note:**

  * For [scionofthelongproject](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scionofthelongproject/gifts), [Extremebooklover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Extremebooklover/gifts).



> Most of this was written on some degree of pain killer

Ever since Newcastle he felt as if he had a vice in his chest, made it difficult to breathe. Like back when he’d dressed up for Stanley. 

John tried to get comfortable moving around trying to not dislodge his bedmates, Nick making a displeased sound as his pillow shifted. He risked waking Nick up to take possession of his arm and stare at the fresh tattoo. Nick had steady hands even for a magus, and maybe it was the unhealthy relationships John had talking but he wanted more tattoos from Nick, besides the coven one. Tattoos that would mark him as belonging to Zee and Nick. John looked over at Zee, bathed in moonlight and hair a black tangle. He needed some air. The apartment was chilly and John knew that the balcony would be far worse. He grabbed the first coat he came across that wasn’t Zatanna’s. He may have been skinny but even he didn’t fit into her clothing, well her jackets at least. John slid into the black leather trench coat and immediately started patting the pockets looking for his cigarettes. It wasn’t that he craved a smoke, it just relaxed him. He had a knot in his stomach that wasn’t going away, he felt like something was going to go wrong.

He was leaning against the balcony railing, New York was no London but it had a certain appeal. A certain magic that you couldn’t find anywhere, it was a living city, but John had yet to meet her or him, not like with the Queen of Angels. John found the cigarettes, he lit the cigarette making a small face at the taste. Fucking Nick.

John’s back tensed as he heard the door slide open and felt arms slide around his middle, John automatically leaned forward slightly so he could take more weight from whoever was behind him,”Where are you?”

Nick. He could breathe easier,”Here, always here.”

Nick kissed a spot behind his ear,”You’re never here today.”  


John knew exactly what day it was, that’s one of the reasons he was feeling anxious,”Never thought I’d make it to 24.”

Nick’s arms tightened around John’s waist, Nick knew the story of John’s childhood. Only took a broken nose and some guilt sex on Nick’s part to get John to reveal his story,”The way I see it you’ve survived 100% of your worst days.”

John exhaled some of the clove smoke and exposed his neck allowing Nick better access,”True.”

Nick cuddled into him,”You’ll catch your death out here. Come on Zee and I have gifts to give you.”

“She up?” John couldn’t hide his surprise, Zatanna was never awake before eight am. Nick being up at six made sense, and John hadn’t quite been able to shake getting up with the sun after Ravenscar no matter what happened the day before. The only time when he slept in was during one of his benders which were happening less and less.

“Barely, we got chilly without you.” Nick nipped at John’s neck enjoying the groan as John dropped his head back onto Nick’s shoulder resisting the urge to rock back into him. Nick knew this and slid one of his hands down to John’s waistband,” As sexy as you look in my coat, I’d much prefer it on the floor.”

John stubbed the cigarette out on the railing and grasped it tightly, being obviously needy just fed into Nick’s already massive ego. He wouldn’t show Nick how much he wanted him, he couldn’t. Nick slid his fingers farther down John’s waistband, not enough pressure to be anything substantial but enough to be teasing,”Bastard.”

Nick bit a little harder after John made that comment,”That the game you want to play?”

John turned his head to look at Nick,”Maybe but not with you.”

John always knew what buttons to hit to get a rise out of Nick and achieve what he wanted, small problem with that, Nick knew what buttons to hit on John. His hand slid father into John’s waistband and he squeezed, John was only slightly embarrassed about the noise that escaped him. A high bitten off keen. Nick laughed at John and removed his hand before releasing John’s waist, sliding his hands up John’s chest,”Are you going to behave or will Zee and I need to leave you with an unhappy ending on your birthday.”

John twisted in Nick’s grip looking over his shoulder at Zatanna who had the sheet pulled up to her neck and seemed discontent that her boys had the audacity to start without her. John looked Nick up and down saw him clad only in lacy black briefs, John sucked in a breath. Oh it was going to be a great birthday. Nick grabbed John’s hand and pulled him back into the apartment and their bed. Zatanna then sat up and John saw what she was wearing, a black bustier with lace boyshorts, tights and heels. Oh, he had dreams like this. Lots of dreams like this. 

Nick wormed his way behind John and pulled off the trench coat John was wearing before looking at Zatanna,”What do you think Zee? Should we leave the rest of his clothes on?”

Zatanna put a stiletto on John’s stomach holding him there as he tried to approach the bed,” I say he has to earn it.”

John knelt down in front of his goth princess and went to move forward when she shifted her foot planting the feel in his sternum. Nick tangled his hand in John’s messy blond hair,”Though maybe we should give the birthday boy his gifts first.”

John leaned against Zatanna’s heel and licked a stripe up her leg, Nick jerked his hair back causing to him to hiss more out of surprise then actual pain or anger. Nick let go of his hair and walked over to the closet, John didn’t break from his staring contest with Zatanna,”Where you going?”

“Get my camera and your gifts. Zee, can you give us some light please?”

“Thgil selnac.” John looked at the candles burning on the nightstand, this was definitely a dream he had. Okay maybe it was convenient because the power had been out the last few days, but he was pretty sure he could convince Zee to use some of it on him.

JOhn heard the shutter of the camera and couldn’t help the smile that spread over his face. NIck kneeled back down again John using him as a sort of tripod taking photos of Zee from John’s point of view. The moon light and candle light bathing her, making her look like the goddess both Nick and John knew that she was. 

Nick set the camera down by John and grabbed the first gift off the bed,”This is from Zee.”

John opened the silk satchel and fished out a piece of gold rutilated quartz shaped like a skull on a thin metal chain, he felt the enchantment the second he touched it. A locater charm, tied to Zatanna and Nick judging by the temperature, it felt as if he touched a sun baked rock, hot almost uncomfortably so. He slid the necklace on, it hit a little above his collar bone. A way so he could always come back to them, no matter the distance”I love it, Zee, thank you.”

“Any time, my love.” Zatanna pulled him onto the bed,”I think NIck has one more gift to give you.”

Nick’s satchel was leather and looked to be beaten to hell and back, John pulled at a circular disk of metal with a dragon and a wolf on one side and an upside down triangle with a bracket on the top, there was an ancient magic in it,”Got this when I was in Russia. Zee and I figure it’s like one of the five totems of Zambesi. The symbol on the back of it is for the Slavic god Veles. God of tricksters, musicians and magic. Sound familiar?”

John laughed, setting the totem besides him, ”Is that your way of saying you worship me?”

Nick launched himself at John with a huff of laughter as he slammed John back into the bed. Nick passed the totem to Zatanna who set it on the night stand and grabbed one of the blue column candles and John raised his head off the bed and looked at Zatanna his brown eyes blown wide enough to almost swallow the sclera, Nick rolled onto his side and turned John’s head towards him. Nick’s blue eyes vulnerable and full of naked emotion and love,”I never stopped worshipping you. Even covered in demon blood.”

John’s breath hitched, whether it was disbelief from what Nick said or surprise from Zatanna starting to trail the burning wax in complex patterns. She was getting a little better at it, but she was still afraid of hurting John,” You started?”

“This pretty blond in tight jeans saved my life, what else was I supposed to do?” Nick’s voice was a whisper.

John’s eyes started to water slightly and he didn’t respond, he turned to face Zatanna not being able to bare Nick looking at him like that. John still didn’t open his eyes, he arched his back as Zatanna poured another hotter line down his chest. She moved the candle closer trying to give him a stronger sensation. It didn't matter how strong the sensation was he could breathe again.

* * *

 

John wasn’t on the Waverider for this mission, he was off with some guys named Chas and Zed performing a exorcism in the middle of Nebraska or Kansas or somewhere. Ava didn’t particularly care. As long as he wasn’t here, it wasn’t that she hated the guy, but she didn’t like him. Rubbing that he slept with Sara first in her face, what a bastard. 

“Morning party people!” Sara clapped her hands together as Charlie flinched, she broke into John’s booze stash and was regretting. God, could he drink like a fish,”We’re going to New York, May 10, 2006. We’re searching for the lost totem of Valas, Veles? As far as the legend goes it’s supposed to act like one of the totems of Zambesi. Gideon do you mind filling us in on the legend that Constantine left for us?”

“Mr. Constantine said that the totem was created by the slavic trickster god Volos, there isn’t much information about what the artifact is capable of but it does seem to amplify the magic of the user, their musical ability and/or their ability to trick people.”

Ava clenched her jaw,”Glad to see he left us with a ton of information.”

“He left us with the only information he knew, but he did leave us with the ability to track the object.” Sara said shaking a compass before tossing at Ray,”Gideon do we know the names of any of the big players on the ground?”

“Some of the biggest players is a stage magician know as Zatanna Zatara, aka the Mistress of Magic, A necromancer who goes by the alias Nick Necro real name Nicolas Nolan, and John Constantine the Hellblazer. New York has one of the larger Occult/magical communities of the world only beaten out by London for the occult scene and followed by Los Angeles. New Orleans follows with the strong Voodoo and Santeria communities formerly headed by the Laveau family and is now directed by a voodoo priest named Linton Midnite.”

“Gideon what is the likelihood we will run into John in 2006?” Sara asked, it was dangerous to visit the past of people who the legends interact with in the present.

“Highly likely as Mr. Constantine is viewed as an occult head in the community. The word in the magical community is that he seems to be a deeply intimate and committed relationship with Mr. Necro and Ms. Zatara. Usually when in a public setting, one is not spotted without the others close by.”

“Ava, you’re with Zari, Charlie, Nora, and Ray. Mick, Nate, you’re with me.”

“Is it really a good idea to split up?” Ava asked looking at her girlfriend concerned,”We could be in danger if the totem is in the wrong hands.”

“It looks like John might be our best bet, he seems to hang around the Oblivion club most often followed by wherever this Zatanna girl is performing.” Ava pulled up a poster of one of Zatanna’s show,”She’s pretty. Sara will take the magic show where, we’ll go to the club.”

“Ava, are you sure? I know you don’t like John.”

“My feelings about John haven’t factored into my decisions. But Charlie and Nora are the only ones besides our Constantine who has experience with magic. They're our best bet getting into that club.” 

Sara nodded at Ava’s decision,”It doesn’t look like Zatara has a show scheduled for the 10th. So Oblivion would be where to find them, Mick, Nate and I will be back up. Be on comms at all times this could go south quickly. Especially with Constantine involved.”

Gideon portaled them to a rooftop overlooking a dingy bar, Sara gave Ava the tracker as her team would actually be in the club,”Tell me when you have eyes on them.”

Ava’s team left the rooftop and began to head towards the club’s door. They saw a yellow taxi pull up blocking the alley’s exit. The cab driver exited the cab as a blonde punk rocked out the passenger side and into the cab driver’s arms,”You are very drunk.”

“Yep.” The blond laughed, sounded a bit like John. Same accent but the voice was much warmer, jubilant,”High off magic. Best day ever.”

The cabbie let the punk go and laughed at him, more amused then anything,”Alright. Will you be able to make it in the door or will I need to carry you in?”

The blond went ramrod straight and began to walk towards the cabbie,”Sober as a nun.”

The cabbie didn’t believe him,”Alright John. I gotta get back to Renee. Geraldine is with Renee’s sister.”

“Not coming to Zee’s show?”

“Nah, it’s date night.”

The punk jumped back into the cabbie’s arms, and kissed his cheeks,”Alright, Daddy. See you later. Be safe Chas.”

The cabbie shoved the blond off of him gently and pushed him toward the door,”Happy birthday, John. Try not to get into trouble.”

John rolled his eyes and flipped him off,”Give Renee a kiss from the birthday boy.”

Chas waved John towards the door, John stumbled before leaning against one of the alley walls, pulling out his phone,”Hey sorry I missed your calls….Cheryl, I was busy.. . I wasn’t doing that… Yeah 24, it’s a miracle.”

John seemed to be listening to what Cheryl was saying when he heard something which made him sober up, he looked down the alley concerned. He didn’t seem to register the Legends standing in the alleyway trying to give off the appearance of semi-sober bar hoppers,”Look, Cheryl, Imma pop in for Zee, but I’ll call you back tomorrow. Give the baby a kiss for me. Yeah, you too. I’ll give them your love. Bye.”

John seemed to head down the alleyway. Charlie swung an arm around Ava’s shoulders while putting an arm around Zari’s waist,”Alright Ava, Zari and I will go in first, we’ll try to get a bead on Necro and Zatara. See if they know anything about the totem. Nora and Ray should wait for a few minutes before coming in. Nora it’s a simple card conjure. Just say what’s on the front of the card. Bush league stuff.”

Sara watched as the rest of the legends enter the club,”We’ll check on Constantine.”

Mick, Sara and Nate tried to find where John disappeared to, it was like he just vanished. Sara was looking for any sign of disturbance to find where John went and was turning up empty. He was good at disappearing now, and that was from his friends. If he thought he was being 

followed they’d never be able to find him.

* * *

 

Ava looked around for Zatanna or Nick Necro, she spotted Necro in a black trench coat drinking alone in a booth with a man in a blue suit talking to him. She slowly approached them trying to keep an appearance of blind subtlety like she was just trying to get a seat with a good view of the stage. Necro’s booth was in the middle of the room in plain view of the stage. Ava tried to bury her nose in a menu while keeping an eye on Zari and Charlie who seemed to be chatting with the bartender at the bar. 

“Look, if you want to talk demons, find Constantine. He’s the occultist here.” Nick said not sounding impressed with the guy sitting across from him,”Even if it is one involving the lost Zambesi totems.” 

“But Constantine isn’t here is he?” She recognized that accent, Rip,”You are the greatest mage in New York, if anyone knows Mallus it’d be you.”

Nick leaned forward to invading Rip’s space and Ava could almost feel the air go cold,”What you say is true. But, I’m not into talking business without my coven. Now, Mr. Hunter sit back and enjoy the show.”

Rip glared at Nick who seemed amused by his actions but turned to face the stage. Nick let his eyes leave the stage and he was looking towards the entrance into the club, he glanced at the empty spot beside him and frowned. 

Nick lit a cigarette before staring back on the stage as a burst of smoke appeared and a woman in a white corset, shorts, fishnets and heels appeared. Ava honestly thought the top hat was a little much,”Raeppa.”

Ava risked pulling her eyes away from the woman and missing part of the captivating show, to look back at Nick. To a passive observer it would look like Nick was fully invested in the show but her Time Bureau training told her that Nick was still looking for Constantine. Which would make the woman on stage, Zatanna. It did leave Ava wondering how John got a woman like Zatanna in a committed relationship with him.

“Sara, do we have eyes on Constantine?” Apparently she was a little louder then she wanted to be if the subtle head turn from Nick towards her was any indication.

“No, he disappeared. Is he in the club with you?”

“Not that I see. I’m behind Necro. And there is no sign of John.”

Nate’s voice came over the comms,”We found a bloody torn piece of fabric. We don’t know if it’s from John but it looks like there was a bit of the fight.”

“Keep your eyes peeled. This is John we’re talking about. He’ll probably appear within the next few minutes with a gin and tonic.”

Charlie chimed into conversation,”Just finished talking to the bartender, Manny. He says that if Constantine isn’t on stage with Zatanna or in the booth making heart eyes with Nick, he isn’t here. So he never entered the club, he’s still outside in the alley.”

Sara hummed over the line,”Alright, Keep an eye on Necro and Zatara, we’ll try and find John.”

The show went on for the better part of an hour and Ava couldn’t tear her eyes away from the show, no one could except for Nick. The only reason she saw Nick moving is because she was standing behind him. John never appeared inside and Sara had no luck finding him.

Zatanna disappeared off the stage and jumped into Nick’s arms,”Have you seen him?”

Nick set her down,”Not yet. Maybe he was just running late with Chas and time got away from him. Don’t worry, darling.”

“I just, get worried when he disappears.” Zatanna nervously fiddled with the lapels of Nick’s coat,”Maybe he just went home and forgot to call.”

Nick kissed her cheek,”Yeah, you know how he gets today.”

Zatanna nodded,”Do you think he’ll ever stop hurting?”   
Nick began to lead her out of the club,”I think it’ll take a long time for today to stop hurting. With what Thomas did to him. It’s progress every time he doesn’t visit Liverpool today.”

Zari sucked in a breath. She knew John the best out of the entire team and if today was his birthday and he typically went back to Liverpool. It didn’t take a genius to connect the two together, he went back to visit his mom. A woman he never met and whose death he was blamed for. 

Charlie looked at her worriedly and she waved her off. She had no idea why she thought Charlie could be confused for Amaya. It was the way she and John remeinsed over being in a band, the way she laughed loud and boisterous. She had nothing in common with Amaya besides a face, more in common with John. She smiled reassuringly at Charlie when Nate’s voice came over the comms,”Hey guys, we-we found John. You may want to get the wizards to help.”

Zari’s blood turned cold at the sound of Nate’s voice, confused horror. THe rest of the legends bolted out of the club towards where Nate, Mick and Sara were standing. They all had different degrees of horror on their face. Zari nearly screamed when she saw why. 

John was hanging a story up off the ground upside down. Suspended by one leg from a giant spider creature that had black liquid dripping from it’s mouth and body, the liquid steamed in the the air, it mingled with John’s dirty brown hair, John was wrapped up in some sort of strait jacket the front staining red with blood, saturating itself with blood, John’s blood. He looked dead. Zari stared at the message written in red behind John,”All Will Fall To The Cold Flame? WHat the hell does that mean?”

Ray and Nate climbed the fire escape to try and help John down from the spider creature when they heard Zatanna scream,”Teg yawa morf mih!”

Nate and Ray were slammed into the opposing wall while the rest of the legends were pushed away from John’s body. Nick ran to where John was hanging completely disregarding the legends,”Zee, help me get him down!”

Zatanna’s voice was shaking slightly,”Tup Nohj Enitnatsnoc nwod yltneg!”

Nick grabbed John as he was slowly lowered from the creature’s gaping maw, Nick readjusted him so he was holding John bridal style and for a moment Zari feared the worst until a whimper worked its way out of John’s throat and his eyes fluttered, he seemed to try and struggle against the straitjacket,”Nicky? Why can’t I move?”

Nick’s voice wasn’t as calm as he looked,”Got caught on the wrong side of a Tsuchigumo. We’ll take you home and have Asa fix you up.”

John didn’t nod, his eyes shutting and his head lolling against Nick’s chest. Sara approached Nick was her hands up in a peaceful gesture but that didn’t stop Zatanna from stepping between them and Nick re-adjusting his grip on John so he could get a hand free without having to worry about dropping John. Ray was the one who started to speak, Ray who wasn’t a very good liar and was uncomfortably earnest,”We can help you save him. Just let us take you back to our ship.”

NIck took a hesitant step back, they weren’t stalling on purpose. They could feel John’s heart beat start to fade, Zatanna pressed a spread hand on Ray’s chest,”Llet eht hturt, ylkciuq.”

Ray spoke again his tone hurried,”We’re time travellers from 2018, and we’re looking for a magical object. John’s our friend in the future, please let us save him.”

Zatanna looked back at Nick, and he gave her a short nod in response,”Lead the way then.”

Ray led them to a doorway, and Ava used a time courier to open a portal into the med bay. Ray helped Nick get John set up in one of the chairs and strapped into the wristband used to heal. Nick and Ray tried to carefully remove the straitjacket so they could see the extent of his injuries. Nick almost wished they hadn’t, John was practically eviscerated his ribs split and opened outwards like some fucked parody of the blood eagle, his back wasn’t much better. It looked like someone went to town with a whip. It was a miracle John was still alive. Nick removed the rest of the straitjacket and threw it across the room, he saw the carving that tried to mutilate the coven tattoo. The tattoo he gave Zatanna and John as a testament to their bond, their love.  _ SWM _ , Nick knew exactly who was responsible and he’d pay. No matter what John said, he would pay  _ after _ they saved John’s life.

Nick spotted the two chains still around John’s neck and was almost relieved, he couldn’t imagine John’s gifts in that man’s possession. Nick wasn’t a man who was shaken up easily, but with John’s current state he was almost thrown. He watched in a morbid curiosity as John’s heart irregularly beat and his partially blackened lungs inflated and deflated with every breath. Lungs weren’t supposed to look like that, he’d need to ask John to get that looked at.

Nick squared his shoulders and looked at Zatanna. He tried to smile reassuringly at her, but it wasn’t very effective if Zatanna’s tearful expression and blind grab for Nick’s hand was anything to go by. He would need her strength to summon Asa, she always like John the best.

Nick and Zatanna began to chant while the room went dark as Asa appeared through a portal. She looked at the two of them skeptically,”This better be good. I was in the middle of a threesome with a dryad and a sylph.”

Nick moved out of the way showing Asa John’s body, he covered the initials on John’s left arm. Zee didn’t need to know what he was planning on doing, she’d just try to stop him. Or worse try to join him,”Can you save him?”

Asa nodded mutely, she’d seen a lot, she was the Nightmare Nurse after all. It took a lot to rattle her, and she wasn’t rattled, no she was never rattled. But it was strange to see someone as talkative and energetic as John silent as the grave and stiller then a corpse,”I can try. What happened?”

Zari was the one who spoke she was the only one who saw and actually read the message,”Something called the Cold Flame attacked him.”

Zatanna was holding John’s hand,”Are you absolutely sure?”

Zari nodded and Nick cleared his throat. John started to cry out as Asa worked her magic trying to repair the damage. John struggled against Zatanna and Nick’s grip, trying to unconsciously get away from the pain. The pain of his ribs healing and reforming in their proper location. The pain from his flayed skin healing itself without any scars, so John wouldn’t know how close to death he was this time. Nick moved his hand to watch if the carving in John’s arm would repair itself or if he’d have to repair it on his own. John grit his teeth and whined, he was in excruciating pain and you didn’t have to be connected to John’s soul to see that you could here it in the way he screamed and thrashed against Asa, Zatanna and Nick. John slumped against the seat and Asa removed her hands,”He’ll live. His body just needs to heal itself a bit more.”

Nick nodded against Zatanna,”Thank you, Asa.”

Asa kissed John’s forehead and brushed a lock of blond hair out of his eyes,”Just doing my job.”

Asa exited the medbay through a bright hot portal, and all the legends looked away for fear of being blinded even temporarily. When the legends looked back at the magicians, they saw John starting to stir. John stiffened when he didn’t recognize his surroundings, he didn’t reach for Zatanna or Nick but he kept his eyes trained on them. Eyes that were foggy with fear and unshed tears.

Nick played with the shredded remains of John’s already holey shirt,”Never understood why you  wore stuff like this, always complaining you’re cold.”

Zatanna kissed John’s cheek leaving a slight stain,”It’s so he can cuddle up to us later.”

John’s voice sounded strained,”If I wanted a cuddle I wouldn’t need that lame of an excuse.”

Nick’s smile was gentle and he put a hand over John’s eyes, kissing him gently,”Get some sleep kid, Zee will be here when you wake up.”

John’s voice grew weaker as he spoke, it was taking more energy then he had to stay awake and make sure they were okay,”Wh-where you going?”

“To have a smoke. Can’t risk ruining that pretty voice of yours.” Nick put a cigarette in his mouth as if to prove appoint but made no move to light it.

John twitched an acknowledgement before slumping more against Zatanna. Nick shrugged off his trenchcoat and draped it over John’s passed out form. Sara noticed the tattoo on the inside of Nick’s right forearm, the same one John had on his left arm, Zatanna had the same one. It made her league brand ache. She needed to ask what the hell it meant when one of them broke off from the other. Most of the legends had cleared out after Asa left. Only Ray, Zari, Sara, and Ava remained.

Nick looked at Zatanna curiously, one would think he was waiting for permission to leave his half dead boyfriend’s bedside. Zatanna looked up at him and they had a silent conversation. Zatanna slid a hand over John’s heart and Nick interlaced his fingers with hers squeezing them reassuringly. Ava leaned over to Sara and whispered in her ear,”I’ll try and get Necro to talk about the object, he seems to be the most coherent right now. Try to appeal to Zatanna since John is out of commission.”

Nick walked out of the medbay and Ava followed him, she had to know. She had to know what about John charmed everyone, and how he got two semi upstanding magicians under his spell. Nick slunk into the hallway and lit a cigarette, jumping when Gideon’s voice chimed in that the Waverider was a no smoking aircraft. 

He made no move to put the cigarette out but seemed to be a little more hesitant about leaning against the wall and hiding about in the pillars, Ava stood across from him. Necro’s dark eyes seemed to look at Ava curiously, she felt his eyes peering into her soul. Stripping away her walls, Ava shuddered slightly,”So you and Constantine?”

Necro had the audacity to raise his eyebrows at her and he magicked his cigarette smoke into the shape of a question mark. Well at least she found out where John picked up that annoying habit. He didn’t seem inclined to speak, so Ava elaborated on her question,”If you don’t mind me asking, what do you see in him?”

Nick smiled to himself and looked at the tattoo on his arm,”He’s John Constantine. You can’t help but fall in love with him if he lets you get close. Until I was sure that John would be willing to let me love him, I was a modern Tantalus, reaching for what I wanted and feeling it slip through my fingers. If he is the sun I am Icarus, and if I burn when I burn. What a glorious day it’ll be.”

Ava blinked in shock,”And what about Zatanna?”

“There is not a soul in existence on any plane that can compare to Zatanna Zatara. She’s intoxicatingly beautiful, powerful. She’s the kindest most compassionate person I’ve had the pleasure of knowing,” Nick pursed his lips as he searched for an adequate way to explain how her, why he loved her. Her complexities and her flaws and all of her. He was as consumed by his love for Zatanna as he was for John. He may have been the romantic of the relationship but he had no real words to explain how he felt for them,”Why do we love anyone? Because they complete us. We hold each other in the darkness and it doesn’t make the darkness go away. Bad things are still out there, nightmares still walk around, and we whisper to each other,’I love you, I’m here, It’s all right.’ Makes the darkness seem a little better, especially when you love the light.”

Ava thought about what Nick said, how much of it resonated with her, how much of it reminded her of Sara,”That’s a lot to process.”

Nick shrugged and idly traced the tattoo,”Our souls are one. It’s a heady feeling.”

She needed to ask about it, it was going to bug her otherwise,”The soul connection thing, how does it work? Is it just sex?”

Nick seemed amused by how uncomfortable she was,”No, it’s hard to have sex that’s that deep and intimate, to have a connection outside of a simple brush of energy. But that energy is the same brush of energy that happens when you interact with anyone you care for. John, Zee’s and I are coven, one soul three bodies. Why so curious?”

“John, future John, and Sara, my girlfriend, had a bit of a thing. I just needed to know.”

Nick leaned against the wall, sliding down to give the appearance of sitting across from her,”What kind of thing?”

“A one night stand in a mental asylum.” 

Nick chuckled slightly,”That’s not enough. Sara, is she the blonde?”

Ava nodded, at least that relieved that fear,”Yeah, she is.”

Nick chewed on his bottom lip searching for a way to ask this next question gently,”Has she died?”

“Yes, she was killed by a league of assassins member.” Ava felt compelled to tell what she knew about Sara’s death and resurrection, she wondered if it was magic compelling her to do as much. She only knew vague details,”Her sister brought her back from a thing called a Lazarus pit but it didn’t give her back her soul. So Constantine performed a resurrection spell or whatever and he brought her soul back.”

Nick nodded,”A restoration spell. Difficult magic, leaves a bond between souls. It’s not magic you should perform lightly. Take it from a necromancer, do it wrong it’ll kill you. Do it right and you’ll be stuck with an ashen tongue and bad cramps.”

“Is that why you smoke?”

“One of the reasons.” Nick’s furrowed his brow,”Do you have a place I can do some research? Like a library or something?”

“Yeah, you can use Gideon. What do you need to look for?”

Nick smiled at her placatingly,”A cult matters.”

Ava gestured for him to follow her,”I’ll point you to the library.”

“Obliged.”

* * *

 

Zatanna readjusted the coat covering John, she didn’t trust these time travelers, the puppy and the brunette were okay. The blondes made her nervous. They made Nick nervous, Nick was never rattled, even when he heard about John’s past. The puppy approached her,”I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce myself earlier. I’m Ray.”

The brunette sat on the other side of John and grabbed his hand,”I’m Zari. The quiet girl in the back is Sara.”

Zatanna smiled at them, they helped save John. They were allies in her book, at least Zari and Ray were,”Zatanna. You said you guys are from the future?”

Zari nodded,”John’s not exactly close to us, but I’d like to consider him my friend.”

John twitched slightly in his sleep and Zatanna stroked his face, calming him,”He’s not an easy person to get close to. Outside of Nick and I, his only friend is Chas. But he’s worth it, trust me.”

Ray sighed,”We just want to help him.”

Zatanna frowned slightly, Ray’s feeling of hopelessness and frustration she was familiar with. Especially when it came to John,”He knows that. It’s a cruel thing to be John Constantine, he just wants to protect you. To protect us.”

A groan came from John as he cracked open an eye and tried to sit up,”You in danger, luv?”

Zatanna and Ray help sit John up, he slumped against Zatanna,”Not any more.”

“Where’s Nick?”

Sara spoke up finally,”He’s looking for the Cold Flame people who attacked you.”

John tried to climb out of the med bay chair and stumbled into Ray who steadied him,”It wasn’t the COld FLame. Stupid git, he’s gonna kill him.”

“Who’s Nick gonna kill?”   
“Not Nick, Stanley, My ex.”

Zatanna’s blood curdled. She knew exactly who Nick was going to face, and he was all too human,”Are you sure?”

“That it was his initials carved into my tattoo? Yeah, it’s not something you forget.” John’s voice was cold but tired, he was just so tired of his past coming back to haunt him. The carvings healed from Asa’s treatment but John remembered them being carved into his flesh. 

“Wait, who’s Stanley?” Sara asked.

John shot her a dirty look which was significantly scarier than normal because he was in the shredded remains of a t-shirt and leather jacket while covered in demon blood and human blood,”Don’t worry about it.”

John seemed to waver under Zatanna’s touch,”We’ll find him don’t worry.”

John fiddled with his medallion, standing straighter after he started to fiddle with it,”I think I’ve got enough juice to get us there. We get Nicky and we get out. Deal?”

Zatanna nodded, she understood why John needed to be in control, it was too easy for him to backslid into a place that he didn’t want to be in. A powerless place,”Deal.”

Zatanna allowed John to use her as a crutch and she beat him to casting the portal,”Ekat su ot Kcin Ocren!”

Zari, Ray, Ava, Nate and Sara followed Zatanna and John through the portal. John looked at the Legends,”Look for Nick, I’ll meet you back her in half an hour.”

Ray looked worried at the fact John was going to go off on his own when a little less than an hour ago he was hanging upside down in an alleyway after being attacked by a demon,”Where are you going?”

“I’m going to see a man about a horse.” John looked at their surroundings, they looked to be in a large and cluttered artifact room,”And by that I mean about a bloody clock.”

Zatanna couldn’t help the disbelief in her voice as she whisper shouted at John,”Is that what this about? That stupid Clock?”

John rolled his eyes,”If it was, do you think he would’ve summoned a demon? It’s because I’ve been shagging you two!”

Zatanna raised an eyebrow at him,”Has it been worth it?”

John scoffed,”Tell you what, we survive the psycho sicko I’ll tell you how worth it was.”

Zatanna rolled her eyes at John. He was being deliberately frustrating this time,”Kiss for luck?”

“Who needs luck?” John grabbed her waist and kissed her, Zatanna tangled her fingers in his matted hair before pushing him off of her and shoving him towards the door. 

Sara looked at them and rolled her eyes,”Where are we supposed to start looking for Nick? This place is going to be a maze.”

Zatanna made a noncommittal gesture,”Follow the dirt.”

Ray was about to ask what she meant when she pointed it out, small mounds of dirt sprinkled through the floor leading down into a hallway. They snuck into the hallway and saw two golems patrolling around the hallway. Zatanna recognized the sigil on their cheek, it was a sigil of Nick’s own making. A sigil that bonded the golems to their creator, in a way that they still had a form of free will but Nick could stop them from harming his allies. Zatanna saw the bodyguards on the floor in various states of unconsciousness. She was some sort of relieved, Nick was still hyper fixated on Stanley. The house creaked and shuddered, the walls twisted and warped. 

Drywall cracking and pieces of ceiling started to rain down on the legends, guess John found the clock. Zatanna saw an ornate coffin on its front. Breathing room. Zatanna peeked into the room again trying to figure out whether or not there were anymore bodyguards lurking around. Sara entered the room first followed by Ava, bo staff and gun drawn. Zari touched her bracelet and conjured up a ball of wind following Zatanna to the coffin, Ray followed as he saw them struggle with trying to right the coffin.

“Come on, lift with the knees.” Ray was carefully to keep the lid closed, and not let whatever, whoever was in there out. 

Zatanna and Zari struggled to put the Coffin back on the podium. It had a locking spell hastily carved into the side, one where you only had to break the seal to unlock it,”Sara do you have a knife?”

Sara pulled a pocket knife out of her coat and tossed it to Zatanna who immediately went to scratching out the sigil, there was a soft pop, like an ear drum or a can of soda. Zari and Ray opened the top of the coffin and jumped at seeing NIck in the coffin, his eyes glowing an acidic green and his face covered in black veins like Nora’s was when she was possessed by Mallus. He was pale bordering on translucent and he wasn’t breathing, he looked dead. Zatanna removed the connection sigil that was on his forehead. Nick gasped and his eyes returned to a shady brown. Nick tried to scramble out of the coffin and was held back by Zatanna and Ray. There was a loud crash of the golems falling over their purpose over and done with. Nick went to speak and made a face, gagging slightly,”God, tastes like I licked an ashtray.”

Zatanna helped Nick clamber out of the coffin,”Speaking from personal experience?”

Nick shot her a disinterested look,”Where’s John?” 

Ray was the one who spoke as Nick tried to deruffle himself,”He went after that Stanly guy.”

The house let out a low demonic moan, that cascade to a loud shrill shriek,It wasn’t the house, it was from within the house. Nick took off towards the source of the noise. 

Nick bolted up the stairs vaguely aware of the legends and Zatanna following him. He felt someone plow into his back, he stumbled slightly but stayed back from the scene going on in the middle of the room. Stanley was laying slumped on the floor in a puddle of blood. His chest had been ripped open, John was floating in the middle of the room encased in a beam of light. There was wind whipping shrapnel around the room creating a protective barrier around him. His eyes were glowing, no that would’ve been generous. It was almost like they’d been replaced with fire. John’s body was in the middle of the room but he was joined by someone else.

Ray started to move forward to make sure John was okay,”John?”

Nick put his hands up not allowing anyone else to move forward,”That’s not John. Who are we in the presence of?”

“John” rolled his head over to where Nick was standing and he felt his bones turn cold at the amount of contempt in John’s eyes. You could feel the hatred boil off of him. When John spoke his scouse accent was gone, replaced by an old London accent,”Lady Johanna Constantine.”

Nick bowed slightly,”My lady, you’re the daughter of Lord George Constantine and Lady Harriet Constantine?”

A subtle nod,“I didn’t know creatures could read.”

Nick seemed to chuckle at that,”Your family is one of my areas of interest. May I ask why you’re here?”

John stared at Stanley’s body, the voice sounded maternal, bordering on rage,”He hurt him. They always hurt him. He needed someone to protect him.”

Nick looked down, he knew exactly what she was referencing,”Would you let him come back to us?”

“You’ll just hurt him again. Everyone hurts him.” John, Johanna, looked at Nick skeptically, a look that shredded his heart.   
Nick slowly approached bracing for when he’d get within striking distance of the shrapnel,”Look into my heart then. Let me show you that I’ve never had and will never have an ill intention towards John Constantine.”

John sighed,”You’re honest which is rare, and you do love him. Don’t make me come back here. Next time I won’t be merciful.”

The magic started to recede, the wind stopping and the beam of light dimming. John’s body was lowered to the ground. Nick saw John’s brown eyes look around the room confused and slightly afraid before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he dropped to the ground like a brick. Nick didn’t catch him in time. Zatanna stopped his descent before he hit the floor. He was still breathing, just passed out. The last hour had taken what little energy he had out of him. Nick cradled him in his arms, he just wanted to take John home. Hunker down with him and Zee and not see natural light for a week.

“Mr. Necro we need to ask you about the Veles totem.”

Nick spotted the same totem around John’s neck, but these government stooges didn’t need to know that. You could smell the bureaucracy on them,”It’s a myth like the lost Zambesi totems. You’re barking up the wrong tree. Talk to a fence. I’m done.”

Nick stood up with John in his arms, he didn’t trust the legends and he needed to protect his family.

He heard one of the legends call out and try to stop them. It didn’t matter, they were done.

* * *

 

John rubbed his face against his pillow, he opened his eyes when he heard the laughter,”Morning kid.”

John looked up from his pillow and met Nick’s eyes,”Morning. What time’s it?”

“About 8pm, on the 12th.”

John went to sit up and felt arms clench his waist and pull him back down, Zatanna,”About you woke up we were starving.”

John huffed as Zatanna rolled on top of him pinning him between her and nick,”Then why didn’t you wake me up?”

“You looked so cute asleep.” Nick was scrolling through the photos on his camera, he showed John one of the photos. John was passed out and drooling slightly,”See? Cute.”

“Mortifying.” John tried to recall the past two days. It felt hazy like a fever dream, a bad dream,”Was I really out for two days?”

“In and out, the demon took it out of you.” Zatanna said as John sat up and rubbed his head dislodging her.

“I don’t remember…...Did I do anything?” John sounded genuinely afraid,”I had a dream of hurting you guys.”

“No, just a bit of a scare. Asa patched you up though.” John glanced at the coven tattoo, something else was supposed to be there wasn’t it? Ruining it?

Nick kissed his head, and laid back down setting his camera on the nightstand,”We could stay in bed and get some take out?”

Zatanna curled against him, pulling John back down so he could lay against her,”Mhmm, sounds nice. Nick can answer the door.”

Nick went to protest but he looked at John and Zatanna tangled within each other, within the sheets, and thought better of it. He ran his fingers up and down Zee’s side,”Chinese sound good?”

* * *

 

“Maybe he genuinely didn’t know about the object?” Nate said as they were gathered around the command center,”The timeline still seems to be intact.”

John walked up behind them his white button up covered in blood. His heart stuttered at the image that was projected into the middle of the room. Nick reclined on Zatanna while John sat in front of them on his guitar, a photo of happier, less damaged, times,”He knew about the totem, he put it in a hole and threw away the hole. He didn’t trust you guys, none of us really cared for the government.”

Sara waved the photo away and tried to act natural,”Hey, John. How was London?”

“It’s London, it sucked.” John stared blankly at the place where Nick used to be,”I’m going to bed.”

**Author's Note:**

> Fuck this, im glad it's done. On to a new Devil Doc


End file.
